GUBAY FOUNDATION MAKES £2.25M DONATION FOR VOLUNTARY GROUP IN SALFORD

Salford’s city-wide organisation for the voluntary sector is to receive a £2.25million donation from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation (AGCF), set up by the late Welsh businesman who made his fortune with the Kwik Save retail chain.

Salford Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) has formed a three-year partnership with AGCF as it looks to provide a range of services to support, train and prepare people ‘furthest from the job market’ to gain skills and employment.

A spokesperson for AGCF said the foundation had awarded grants to many impactful projects run by charities across the country, with Salford being ‘a particular area of focus’.

They said: “We were very impressed by what Salford CVS has developed with its partners and how this will feed in so well to Salford city council’s wider strategy to help those furthest from the job market on their journey toward work.

“We are committed to funding high-quality initiatives such as this and look forward to seeing the difference it will make to so many people in Salford.”

“After a meeting with Tom Stannard, the chief executive at the city council at  Mustard Tree, which is one of the charities that AGCF has supported, it was clear that there was an opportunity for a major step change by linking in with the council’s focus on tackling unemployment through partnership working. 

“The ambitions of both organisations were aligned given that Albert Gubay’s overriding principle was to help those most in need.   Alison Page, chief executive of Salford CVS, jumped at the chance to work with us and immediately identified the charities who were reaching the people that others weren’t and developed a strong programme and partnership proposal.”

Coun Philip Cusack, executive support member for skills, work and business at Salford city council, said: “The skills and work programme is a key priority not just for the council, but for the whole city.

“This programme, led by Salford CVS, will be a key component of our new skills and work strategy, particularly in reducing the skills and labour market inequalities and disparities that we see across the city. The funding will make a real difference to people who are most in need of our support.”

Salford city council are funding the coordination of the programme by Salford CVS, which will provide the glue to make all elements of the initiative work to their fullest and to ensure that the programme remains responsive and flexible to those who most need support.

Delivery will be undertaken by five ‘core’ charity partners: Groundwork Greater Manchester, Mustard Tree, Salford Foundation, Salford Loaves & Fishes and The Broughton Trust. Their work will be augmented by spot-purchased specialist provision. In addition, there will be a small grants fund for charities that can deliver in support of this programme.